The most important thing is to have privacy. You'll want to do everything possible to make sure you are in a private space where it is unlikely you will be heard or interrupted. You may need to ask others in your space to respect your privacy by doing things like turning on entertainment in another room or listening to something on headphones.

In addition, you will want to put a box of tissues next to where you will be. If you want, pour yourself a glass of water or tea. You will want to turn off any notifications as best you can and turn off smartphones.

It's important when searching for a therapist that you find someone whom you can build a relationship with. You can think of a therapy session as a scientific lab. In other words, it's okay to try and experiment with new things without the kind of consequences that you might experience in a personal relationship. In each session, I'll gently help you gain more insight into your relationships outside the session. Through this type of experimentation, you can gain more effective communication skills to help you express your needs without putting others on the defensive.

Everybody’s anxiety is unique. By identifying the roots of your anxiety, we will tailor our anxiety treatment to your specific needs and goals. We have seen and heard a lot while treating anxiety, including treating sever anxiety. All forms of anxiety can be treated effectively with right approach and support. 

Sometimes medication can be helpful if depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. But medication isn’t right for everyone. You may want to try natural depression treatments before considering medication. We can discuss your options together so you can make the best decision for your needs.

You won’t ever know what therapy can do for you if you don’t try. There’s a reason you feel depressed, and professional support can help you find meaningful, lasting healing. If there’s something that’s holding you back, it’s likely a symptom of a deeper issue. No matter how long you have lived with depression, there is a path to healing. With the support of a therapist, you can start feeling better.

We have found online therapy to be very meaningful. Sometimes people find it more helpful than in-person therapy. This is because, you can be in control of your own environment. You can have things around you that help you feel calm. And, you never have to get into your car. All therapy treatments, described above, can be available and successful using online therapy.

My very first priority is to keep you feeling safe during a session, and I have specialized training geared towards ensuring such safety. This is even possible with online therapy.

During a trauma sessions, I'm particularly sensitive to responding to what you need and feel comfortable expressing in the moment. I will never force you to do anything you're not comfortable with. I aim to help you regain the ability to speak your truth. Many individuals need to revisit the traumatic event in order to heal, which can involve retelling the story and reprocessing it in new ways. However, that isn't always the case. The good news is that our bodies know how to heal from trauma and can release the stress without having to talk about it. This can look many different ways.

Sometimes, all it takes is feeling safe and accepted in a relationship. Other times, healing may come from the process of bringing awareness to habitual thoughts or emotions that are keeping you stuck. Every person is different, and I will work with you and follow your cues.

This is a great question! You might be wondering if trauma treatment could "break" you. Many people feel scared to work though their trauma. In my trauma work, I go very slow to ensure you can handle the pace and I get my cues from you as to what you are ready for. We will start out slow. Most people make a lot of progress in the first 6 sessions and say they feel in the end that it was worth it. Their day to day life is easier and their relationships improve significantly.

Yes, this question is being asked more often because of Covid-19. EMDR is just as effective online as in-person. Actually, many feel there are some extra benefits to EMDR online therapy. These include, being in a known comfortable home environment, not having to commute, easier to schedule, more accessible, ect. In general, the only difference is, we will be using bilateral music and we can set this up together.

EMDR therapy is considered to be safe with minimal side effects such as light-headedness and heightened emotions or physical sensations after the session. Luckily, these effects reduce with time as memories become less charged. It's important to find a therapist who has extra training in EMDR and has experience using it with many clients. At the end of each session, I teach grounding and relaxation exercises to make sure you're ready to walk back into your life. Even children can benefit from EMDR.

Partly, it's possible to use parts of EMDR to learn how to cope with anxiety and depression related to traumatic events. Doing this on your own outside of therapy can help speed up the recovery process. However, to reach the full benefit, you will need the help of a therapist. Their guidance will give you the strength to face aspects you tend to avoid. As well as help you get past stuck places. A large part of the treatment is sharing and processing in a safe accepting environment. As a result, you will have a full, more in-depth experience than you would have alone.

You may be experiencing disruptive thoughts, rollercoaster emotions, uncomfortable bodily sensations, or other unhelpful responses that suggest you’re unsuccessfully managing undigested trauma. Most likely, EMDR therapy will be helpful for you, but you'll never know unless you try it.

Don’t beat yourself up for being unable to resolve this on your own or for considering help now. EMDR allows you the opportunity to face your fears and feelings directly, holistically, and accurately. This was accomplished in a relatively short amount of time. I find most people feel relief after just six sessions, with participants reporting a lasting and very satisfactory result.

Simply put, yes. EMDR is an effective, evidence based and increasingly more well-known treatment that can relieve your mind and body. EMDR therapy is proven to treat many issues such as, but not limited to:

• PTSD
• Abuse (sexual, physical, emotional)
• Phobias
• Anxiety
• Grief
• Chronic Pain
• Depression
• Somatic Disorders
• Flashbacks
• Nightmares
• Addictions
• Performance Anxiety
• Vicarious Trauma
• Eating Disorders

Consistent with its development in a family therapy clinic, SFT is particularly helpful for the resolution of the problems faced by families, such as parenting teens and treating addictions. In theory, SFT may be used to address a wide variety of problems but it is best suited for problems that have a simple step-by-step solution that can be worked out.

To benefit from SFT, clients must be willing to create and describe their vision of a better life. Often these clients have already tried solutions on their own, with little success. They come to SFT with a readiness for some new approaches and some hopefulness that they can improve their lives by trying something different. SFT is less about self-growth or insight than other therapy models. Its goals are not self-actualization, greater self-confidence, or personality change. The SFT therapist’s role is to get the person on track to a better life for themselves and to leave them to continue on that track once the brief therapy is concluded.

Solution-Focused Therapy Examples

Solution-focused therapy can be used in a variety of circumstances but works best when there is a specific problem that can be solved. Here are some examples of that process.

Couples’ Conflict

After months of increasingly intense arguments, Robin and Ted make an appointment with a couples’ therapist who practices SFT. The therapist asks each of them to say what they’re hoping to accomplish by coming to the session. Robin states a hope that the arguments stop, or at least become far less frequent. Ted frames the problem as longer-term, nearly hopeless, and leading him to consider separation.

The therapist might use a scaling question and ask each of them to rate, on a scale from 1 to 10, the likelihood that this relationship can be saved. Robin rates the chance of a good outcome at 7, while Ted gives a rating of 6. Both are surprised at how close their expectations actually are to each other.

This similarity in the outlook for the relationship sparks each of them to work harder at creating a vision of their happier life together. That vision becomes the starting point for the therapist to work with them to map out the steps toward the desired outcome.

Family Struggling With Parenting of Teenagers

Parents contact a therapist for SFT to address the “behavior and attitude problem” of their 15-year-old. The teenager has been frequently angry, disrespectful, and refusing to cooperate with any of their requests. The therapist would not ask for details of the teenager’s behavioral problems or try to determine what might be “wrong.”

Instead, the SFT therapist would ask each parent the miracle question: If they were to wake up the next day and discover that the problem had been solved during the night, what would they notice to be different? What would they do differently? By changing one small behavior at a time in their own routines, the expectation is that the teenager’s behavior would also change over time.

There are many benefits associated with person-centered therapy including:

• Improved self-awareness
• Improved self-concept (the way you see yourself)4
• Greater trust in oneself and one’s own abilities
• Healthier relationships with others based on an improved view and understanding of oneself
• Healthier communication skills
• Improved ability to express opinions and feelings
• Ability to let go of past hurt or mistakes
• Ability to strive for healthy changes that make one's life better

Things to Consider

To be able to benefit from person-centered therapy, you have to be open to discussing your experiences, both good and bad. Therapists will not direct you in any way, so you must lead the conversation in a way that feels most comfortable to you. You must also establish a relationship with your therapist that feels safe and supportive.